The Red Headed Charm
by Lady Lyanna Mormont
Summary: As Rose Granger-Weasley returns to Hogwarts for her sixth year, a new threat casts a shadow over the Wizarding World and she finds herself caught in the middle. Rated M due to future mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

"Come _on_ Rose will you get a move on, we're going to miss the train!" Rose Granger-Weasley groaned as Albus Severus Potter pulled back her curtains, the sun blinding her momentarily. She rolled over, covering her face with a pillow and mumbling incoherently into it. It was moments such as this that Rose decided that the family's yearly tradition of spending the final two weeks of the summer holidays at the Burrow was terrible. Hoards of cousins, aunts and uncles were crammed into the ever-growing house, which – as if by magic – expanded with every new family member. "I'm serious Rose, come on, your mum will kill you if you make us late!"

"Alright, alright… Merlin, give me a minute! And can you get out of my room." Albus held his hands up, an amused expression on his face and he backed away slowly through the open door, closing it as he left. Rose was not a morning person. The cousins would draw straws each year to decide which of them had the unfortunate task of awakening her on September 1st. At best, she would growl in their general direction and roll over for an extra five minutes of rest, but at the worst a bat-bogey hex would be sent their way. Rose was forever grateful that Aunty Ginny had taught her that one. Al was lucky today. She stretched her stiff limbs, joints creaking and popping in protest, and with a yawn she clambered out of bed.

Ten minutes later Rose walked into the cosy kitchen, bleary eyed and in desperate need of caffeine. Her unruly hair stuck out in all directions, her red curls totally out of control; and no one dared inform her that her jumper was on inside out. The Burrow hummed with activity as the Weasley-Potter clan searched for last minute items that they had forgotten to pack, despite having been nagged endlessly for the past week by their parents to do so.

_"No Hugo, I don't know where your Chudley Cannons poster is," came Hermione's weary voice._

_"The Holyhead Harpies rule!" shouted Roxanne, barging down the stairs with her Nimbus 2001 in tow. "Down go the Cannons!"_

_"James, will you please refrain from using magic in the house – just because you're seventeen it doesn't mean you need to whip your wand out for everything!" Ginny snapped._

_"Mum, Freddie has nicked my diary again, make him give it back!" Lucy cried._

_"Roxy, don't you dare pack those dung bombs – and no George, I will not chill out!" cried Angelina in exasperation at both her daughter and husband._

Despite the usual morning chaos of the first day of term, by ten-twenty-three the teenagers of the Burrow were lined up in front of a large stone fireplace where Molly Weasley held out a pot of green powder, ready to floo to King's Cross Station; here they would board the scarlet steam train and embark upon the six-hour journey to a castle in the Highlands of Scotland.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose had always loved the journey to school. Excitement bubbled in her chest as she, her brother and her cousins waved at their teary-eyed parents who stood at the edge of the crowded platform. The moment they lost sight of the adults the gaggle of teenagers burst into chatter and set off down the Hogwarts Express, in search of an empty compartment. Rose loved to watch the beautiful English countryside fly by, watching the sun reach the highest point in the sky and then slowly arc down towards the horizon, casting shadows over the rolling hills and glistening streams. Glimpses of muggle villages would flash past and Rose would almost feel envious of the children playing in the fields and picking blackberries from the brambles, still at least a week of their summer holidays left; until she remembered that she was returning to her school of magic!

Rose was returning to Hogwarts for her sixth year. She was very proud of the fact that she had been chosen as a house prefect - despite James' incessant teasing - and once they had found a compartment, she took her neatly folded Gryffindor robes out of her trunk and went to the toilets to change. Prefects were expected to patrol the carriages and to keep the peace between houses.

"Rosie-Posie!" Rose had barely a second to register the voice that sung her name before she felt a body slam into her and envelop her in a tight hug.

Rose gasped in surprise as she and the unidentified individual crashed to the ground. She caught a glimpse of silver-white hair and green robes, and she grinned. "Scorp get off me right now, you absolute bloody moron!" Rose laughed, shoving him off her. She pulled herself back to her feet, wobbling as the train took a sharp bend and steadying herself on the top of Scorpius' head. Scorpius Malfoy jumped to his feet, and pulled Rose into another rib cracking hug, lifting her up and spinning her around. "Scorpius Malfoy put me down this instant!" He could hear the laughter in her voice, betraying her facade of bossyness and he set her down once again on her feet. "Merlin, why'd you always have to make such a scene?" Rose blushed furiously under the stares of fresh faced first years who appeared at the windows of the nearby compartments.

"Sorry Rosie, I couldn't resist," Scorpius teased. "I know how much you love it! Wanna pair up for patrols? Or am I going to miss out on spending quality time with my favourite Weasley to Daniel Montague?" Scorpius took her smile as a resounding yes. Despite the long-established inter-house rivalry at Hogwarts, and the generations-long family warfare, Rose Granger-Weasley and Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy had struck up a close friendship by the end of their first year. "How was your summer? Did Mrs Weasley make you de-gnome the garden again?" The two friends fell into an easy chatter as they walked up and down the Hogwarts Express, filling one another in on their summers whilst occasionally confiscating Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products from unsuspecting students.

After two hours of patrolling the train, Rose and Scorpius found Albus and promptly plopped themselves down on either side of him. Albus and James were concentrating on a particularly intense game of Exploding Snap, which at that exact moment blew up in James' face. James scowled at Scorpius and spat, "Thanks for that, Malfoy." He grabbed his wand and stalked out of the compartment, glaring over his shoulder at Scorpius as he went. Rose snickered at her cousin, and then waved her wand, slamming the compartment door shut behind him.

"Bloody hell, I can't believe that after all this time he still hates me!" Scorpius rolled his eyes and leant back against his seat. "You'd think I'd murdered his cat or something!"

"Just ignore him Scorp, he's always had a broom up his arse when it comes to you," Albus replied, moving into James' vacated seat to face his cousin and friend. "Did you bring any Bertie Bott's beans with you? Apparently, there's a new flavour!" Rose rolled her eyes at Albus, he was always thinking about sweets.

"Of course!"

The boys had bonded in their first year over their love of Honeydukes chocolates and so Rose left them to it, pulling out a copy of the Daily Prophet. She flicked through the pages in the hopes that something interesting would catch her eye. Luna Scamander wrote a weekly column which Rose always enjoyed reading, and she had also heard rumours that the Weird Sisters were getting back together. Rose groaned when she came across an article by Rita Skeeter. This time the old hag had decided to write about her Uncle Charlie; for some reason, despite the fact that Moldywart had been defeated over twenty years ago, Skeeter still insisted on writing absolute garbage about the Weasleys and Potters. According to Skeeter, Charlie had been seen with a very pretty witch who was fifteen years his junior – oh, the scandal! If only Skeeter had bothered to do a bit of research, she would have discovered that Izabela was in fact an apprentice at the dragon sanctuary in Romania.

Rose sighed and closed the paper, dropping it onto the little table. '_That vile woman is never interested in the facts,' _she thought to herself. "I wouldn't bother reading that trash if I were you," Rose warned as Albus reached out for the paper. He shrugged and picked it up anyway. "Right, I'm taking a nap," Rose yawned, stretching out on her seat and turning to lean on Scorpius. She ignored his feeble protests and placed her head on his lap. "Head massage – now!" she demanded. She enjoyed bossing Scorpius around and although he would never admit it, Scorpius kind of liked it too. Rose drifted off into a deep slumber as her favourite Slytherin – _'sorry Al!_' – stroked her hair.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry never failed to take Rose's breath away. As the Thestral drawn carriages approached the castle Rose gazed up at the towering turrets in awe, a grin plastered on her face. She would never get used to this. She parted ways with Albus and Scorpius when they arrived in the Great Hall, making her way over to the Gryffindor table as they headed to the Slytherin table. The tables were laden with beautiful tableware, dishes and platters eagerly awaiting to be filled with delicious food which had been lovingly prepared by the House Elves in the kitchens below. Candles floated overhead, flickering shadows across the ceiling of the Great Hall – and what a sight that was to behold; bewitched to reflect the sky outside. The evening had started to draw in and the full moon shone brightly between the clouds.

The large oak doors creaked open and Professor Longbottom lead the stumbling eleven-year olds down the middle of the hall, stopping in front of a small wooden stool. The Sorting Hat sung its song and the Sorting Ceremony began, and once the first years were seated Professor McGonagall approached the podium. "Good evening all. To all our first years, welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and to our returning students, welcome home. The school board and professors wish you the very best over the next year. Mr Filch would like me to remind you that all Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products are forbidden and as usual the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds. Additionally, the Restricted Section is restricted from all those who do not have prior permission from a teacher or a prefect…" Rose gazed ahead until Professor McGonagall raised her hands and announced, "May the feast begin!"

Food appeared upon every platter, catering for all; there were cauldrons filled with soups which happily bubbled away, and freshly baked bread rolls were stacked nearby. Plates were piled high with thinly sliced beef and there were dishes filled to the brim with roasted parsnips, sprouts, carrots, corn on the cob, peas… The variety of potatoes were vast, bowls brimming with mash, roasties, boiled potatoes, chips, hash browns and Rose's personal favourite – cheese boats. Pitchers were full of pumpkin juice and pots of tea and coffee steamed, keeping their heat. With a great gasp from the first years, students dug into the feast before them, filling their plates and eating to their heart's content.

Pudding was just as impressive. An array of cheesecakes, fruit crumbles and tarts appeared, brownies and flapjacks were stacked high, bowls full of berries were almost overflowing, and there was the optional topping of cream and custard. By eight o'clock, sleepy students began to make their way up to their dormitories.


	3. Chapter 3

It took a few weeks for Rose to get back into the swing of being back at school. The early starts were particularly painful for her and she was tempted on more than one occasion to brew herself a batch of Wideye Potion, to slip into her morning pumpkin juice. Her aspirations to become a Healer required her to receive at least Exceeds Expectations in Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts at NEWT level. She wasn't the only one with such a large workload, Scorpius was also taking five subjects. He desperately wanted to get a job as an Auror when he left school.

"Rosie, are you going to come and watch the Quidditch try-outs?" Albus asked as he buttered a slice of toast. "They're on Saturday."

Rose rolled her eyes and sighed. Rose took after her mother in many ways and it had appeared that Hermione Granger had passed on her fear of flying to her only daughter. "Do I have to? We've only been back a month and I'm already behind on homework!"

"Rose, you must be the only witch I know who doesn't like Quidditch!" Scorpius exclaimed.

"It's not that I don't like the game. I just… it makes me feel sick, seeing you all hundreds of feet off the ground! What if you fell?" she replied.

"Ah Rosie, see this is the moment that I remind you of how amazing I am! I'd never fall. Maybe your idiot cousin here would, but me? Never!"

"Oi!" Albus retorted. "I resent that. And anyway, you fell off in third year, don't you remember?" He grinned at the memory. Slytherin had been playing against Hufflepuff when their beaters, Joseph Quintin had smacked a bludger towards the back of his head. It had made a sickening crunch as it connected, and Scorpius had blacked out. The Hufflepuffs were notorious on the Quidditch pitch. Everyone expected them to stick to the rules, but they really could play dirty!

Rose was quickly regretting her decision to sit with Albus and Scorpius for breakfast with all of the Quidditch talk. The morning's post arrived, providing a welcome distraction, and Rose slipped a couple of knuts into the pouch of the owl that had delivered her copy of the Daily Prophet. Albus whipped it up from in front of her before she'd even had a chance to open it up. "Bloody hell Al, can't you have a bit of patience?" Albus ignored her, perusing the pages of the Prophet.

"Guys, have you seen this?" Albus said, dropping his toast suddenly. He turned the newspaper to face them showing a short article headed:

_"A WEREWOLF UPRISING?_

_Over the past two months, reports of werewolf attacks in the North of England and in the Scottish Highlands have increased dramatically. In the twelve months prior, only three werewolf attacks were reported throughout all of the UK, in comparison to the twelve recent attacks that have been reported in just nine weeks. It was reported that a girl of nine died from her injuries. A spokesperson of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures have asked that the public not panic and would like to reassure all that the situation is "well in hand". When questioned further about which werewolves may be involved in the attacks, the Ministry declined to answer and refused to take any more questions…"_

"Shit, that's scary! I thought they'd found a cure for werewolf bites?" said Scorpius with a frown on his face.

"You're probably thinking of the Wolfsbane Potion," replied Rose. "It doesn't cure a werewolf Scorp, it just stops them going nuts when they transform. Did you know that Teddy's dad was a werewolf, apparently he taught Mum and Dad Defence Against the Dark Arts in their third year!"

"It says that there has been an attack in Dufftown, that's not far from Hogwarts…"

"That poor girl. I think I've lost my appetite," Rose muttered, looking down at her barely-touched porridge, pushing the bowl away from her.

"Me too," Scorpius replied.

Rose's stomach twisted into knots. She had heard lots of stories about werewolves, and very few of them were nice. She did not want to think about the article in the paper, so she gathered up her books for Herbology and made her way out to the greenhouses. Rose made her way through the courtyard. There was a chill in the air, the first sign that Autumn was near.

Rose groaned internally when she heard a voice calling her name. "Rosie!"

Forcing a smile onto her face, Rose turned. "Daniel. How are you?" Daniel Montague was Rose's fellow Gryffindor Prefect who up until now, she had managed to avoid since returning to school.

"I'm really well, Rosie. Are you taking Herbology too?" Rose nodded. "Great, we can be partners!"

Rose smiled awkwardly, not wanting to be rude. "Sure." The two teenagers fell into an uncomfortable silence, making the walk across the viaduct towards the greenhouses. Rose could feel Daniel's gaze upon her, and she felt herself blush, not quite sure what to say. She tugged on her curls, tucking her hair behind her ears.

Rose was relieved to see Professor Longbottom unlocking Greenhouse Three as they approached, and she enthusiastically offered to help him set up. "How was your summer, Rose?" Neville asked kindly.

"Busy as always, Professor," Rose replied. "How about you? How is Hannah? I heard she was training to become a Healer – that's what I would like to do when I finish at Hogwarts, you know."

"Correct as always, Rose," Neville replied.

Before long, the Greenhouse started to fill up with Gryffindor and Slytherin students. Professor's Longbottom and Zabini had got together to plan their upcoming classes; Professor Longbottom's students would be gathering the ingredients required to make a Shrinking Solution, which would then be used in Potions class.

Once the class had ended, Rose packed her books away and made her way over to Scorpius. They both had a free period and planned to go down to the Black Lake to skip stones. As they left, Daniel rushed over, a little breathless and looking rather nervous.

"Rosie, wait a sec would you," he called, catching up with them. "Erm, so a Hogsmead weekend is coming up soon," he began. Rose didn't reply, so he continued. "I was wondering if maybe you would like to get a drink at the Three Broomsticks? With me, that is. I mean, it's okay if you don't want to, if someone has already asked you…" He glanced over at Scorpius who had a stormy look on his face, Daniel's ears reddened slightly with embarrassment.

Rose realised how startled she must have looked, and she quickly rearranged her features, plastering on a smile. "Sure Danny," she replied. "A drink would be nice."

"Great!"

Rose had been dreading her date with Daniel Montague since the day she had agreed to go with him. She got ready with Lily in the girl's dormitory, feeling like she needed to put in a little bit of effort. Lily had helped her to pick out an outfit, something nice – but not _too_ nice. She didn't want to give Daniel the wrong idea! She ended up choosing a burgundy, above-the-knee skirt with a yellow jumper, a pair of grey tights and some black pumps. Rose attempted to pin back her unruly curls, allowing them to trail down her back and she applied a small amount of makeup. It would do. She grabbed her dark green scarf as she left the girls dormitory and headed out of the Common Room.

Rose didn't particularly like Daniel, in fact she usually found him quite irritating. Nevertheless, she found that her tummy was doing little somersaults in anticipation.

_"Why did you agree to go with him, Rose?" Scorpius had demanded, skipping stones furiously across the surface of the Black Lake. "You don't even like him. You could do so much better!"_

_"I know, I know – please don't remind me," Rose had despaired. "I just…I didn't want to make things awkward, and he'd plucked up the courage to ask me…I couldn't just say no, could I?" She covered her face with her hands, leaning back against the tree that she was sat in front of. "That's such a shit reason, isn't it? Look, it's just one drink, it'll be fine…"_

_"It bloody better be fine! I swear, if he does anything to upset you, and I mean _anything_ – I will not hesitate to brew the best fucking Shrinking Solution that Zabini has ever seen, and put it in his boxers!"_

Rose had agreed to meet Daniel by the carriages at eleven-thirty, and from there they would travel to Hogsmead together. Daniel arrived right on time and Rose had to admit, he looked nice. Scorpius, Albus and Lily travelled into the village with Rose and Daniel, and much to Rose's amusement, Scorpius spent the journey shooting daggers his way.

When they arrived at Hogsmead, the two separated from the rest of the group and they made their way to the Three Broomsticks. They stopped off at Honeydukes on the way and popped in to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes too. Rose ignored the goofy look that appeared on her Uncle George's face when he saw who she was with, and quickly made her purchases before ushering Daniel out.

They ignored the babbles of the shrunken heads which hung in the doorway of the Three Broomsticks, and they went straight to the bar to order some drinks. "Two butterbeers please," Rose requested, pulling her scarf from around her neck and folding it over her arm. She paid for their drinks and Daniel picked them up to take to their table. As Rose turned to follow, she crashed into the sturdy frame of a man who had been standing much too close. Rose had always been clumsy. She often tripped over her own feet and walked into door frames, and Albus had sworn that she could trip over thin air! If it hadn't been for the arm that had wrapped itself tightly around her waist to steady her, she would most certainly have fallen to the ground. "Merlin, I'm so sorry, I am so clumsy," Rose started. She looked up and faltered.

Towering over her small frame was a large man. He stared down at her, a sneer upon his face. "Don't worry flower, I'm sure it was an accident." He breathed in deeply, bringing his head down, next to her ear, his arm still around her waist. "Well aren't you a pretty one?" he whispered with a low growl. His breath tickled her neck and Rose felt herself shiver, her blood ran cold and a chill shot down her spine. She swallowed back the lump that had quickly formed in her throat and forced herself to smile. He was uncomfortably close as he pressed his body into hers. With a sudden movement she slipped from his grasp and took a step back.

"Erm, th-thank you. S-sorry, I really must go, my friend is waiting for me over there," she stuttered, gesticulating in the general direction of Daniel, unable to break his gaze.

The man stepped towards her, his eyes flickered to look at Daniel and then back again, staring into her eyes. His eyes were dark, his pupils dilated, she noticed a scar running down the side of his neck which appeared to continue on beneath his shirt. He reached out a hand and took a curl between his fingers. "Yes flower, you mustn't keep your boy waiting. I'll see you again." He leaned into her once more, reaching across Rose's shoulder and picking up his drink from the bar. As he stalked away Rose tried to steady her breathing. Her heart raced at twice its usual pace and she felt a tremor run through her hands. She had a sudden sense of dread. That man had frightened her, and she had a terrible feeling about him.

If she had felt nervous about her date beforehand, this encounter had only made her feel twenty times worse. Rose made her way slowly over to Daniel and she sat nursing her Butterbeer quietly. She couldn't focus. Daniel chatted away, not seeming to notice her quietened state, talking about school, and NEWTs, and what his plans were after sixth and seventh year. Rose did her best to listen; he was taking three subjects at NEWT level, had recently joined the Gobstones Club, he hoped to make it as a Beater – wait, no, a Keeper – when he left Hogwarts, hoping to join Puddlemere United…

At three o'clock, Rose and Daniel left the Three Broomsticks, and returned to school.

_A/N: I would like to say a quick thank you to those who have read my story so far, and also to thank the guest reviewer who took the time to leave me feedback on my story. Please do leave a review if you have the time, I would love to think what people think of my story so far!_


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